Son of couple jailed in Iran "desperately worried" as stepdad's sentence extended
A man whose mother and stepfather are imprisoned in Iran tells CBS News "the hardest part is the uncertainty."
London — A British man jailed in Iran on espionage charges that officials call baseless has had his decade-long prison sentence extended by a further two years, his family said Wednesday, as he and his partner grow weak from an ongoing two-month hunger strike.
Craig Foreman, 52, was arrested in Iran with his wife Lindsay, 53, in January 2025 on a motorcycle trip from Europe to Asia. In February, 10 days before the U.S. and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran , sparking the ongoing war, they were charged with espionage and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a judge who is under U.S., U.K. and European Union sanctions for holding "show trials."
They have been imprisoned for more than 18 months, most of which they are known to have spent in Tehran's notorious Evin prison .
Joe Bennett, Lindsay's son and the family's spokesperson, said in a statement Wednesday that they had received "extremely concerning reports" that his stepfather Craig's sentence had been increased for speaking to the media.
"We understand he was told he was being taken to see his lawyer but was instead brought before a judge and informed of the additional sentence," said Bennett. "Despite requests, he was allowed no lawyer, no translator and no opportunity to defend himself."
"We didn't think we could be any more shocked at their appalling treatment," said Bennett, "but in this case we are absolutely flabbergasted."